Dynamic scheduling and channel creation based on real-time or near-real-time content context analysis

ABSTRACT

A hardware media content packaging and distribution system that handles distribution of one or more channels to be viewed on one or more of a plurality of consumer devices, receives a media feed and a first programming schedule of a first channel of the one or more channels from a source device. Instructions are received from a programming service and/or a user-preference is received from a first consumer device of the plurality of consumer devices on which the first channel is viewed. Based on content context analysis, one or more other live feeds of other channels of the one or more channels or pre-encoded media assets, are analyzed. Based on the content context analysis, a media item is recommended to be inserted in the media feed of the first channel, based on the received user-preference. The recommended media item is dynamically scheduled in the media feed of the first channel to be delivered over a distribution system to be viewed on the first consumer device based on the content context analysis.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application makes reference to:

U.S. application Ser. No. 15/396,462, which is filed concurrently herewith;

U.S. application Ser. No. 15/396,468, which is filed concurrently herewith; and

U.S. application Ser. No. 15/396,475, which is filed concurrently herewith.

Each of the above referenced patent applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

Certain embodiments of the disclosure relate to television content packaging and distribution system. More specifically, certain embodiments of the disclosure relate to a method and system for dynamic scheduling and channel creation based on real-time or near-real-time content context analysis.

BACKGROUND

Advancements in the television and broadcasting sector have led to the development of various technologies and broadcasting platforms that are changing the way consumers access and view media content. Broadcasting platforms usually refers to the types of networks that are used to deliver the television signal to the viewer. Currently, all the broadcasting platforms, such as analogue terrestrial broadcast, digital terrestrial broadcast, direct-to-home satellite broadcast, cable, Internet Protocol (IP), and over-the-top television (OTT), compete and strive to increase their appeal in order to gain wider audience. The television viewing market is no longer exclusively concerned with whether media content services are viewed on a dedicated television or another device capable of playing media content. As a result of penetration of new technologies in the television, radio, and broadcasting sector, it is evident that the success of broadcasting will be dependent on the ability of the network provider to gain access to the content that consumers demand, and to differentiate their offering from that of incumbent broadcasters or find new modes of content delivery.

Traditionally, a network provider (network operator) usually decides what content to distribute in the upcoming broadcast year and when to air them. A programming schedule defines what to broadcast and when, ensuring an adequate or maximum utilization of airtime. Accordingly, the media content is packaged into brands, or organized into channels to be delivered to consumers. Increased competition has led the broadcast providers (or the network providers) to differentiate their offering and handle multiple channels at the same time, which in turn have added unparalleled levels of complexity. This required installation of large infrastructures and resources to maintain uninterrupted content delivery for existing channels and also meet the ever-increasing demand of new channels. Thus, an advanced system may be required that provides the network provider with an ability to not only provide new channel offerings in cost-effective manner but also provide enhanced viewer experience to increase their appeal in order to gain wider audience.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Systems and/or methods are provided for dynamic scheduling and channel creation based on real-time or near-real-time content context analysis, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the present disclosure, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary system for dynamic scheduling and channel creation, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary media content packaging and distribution system for dynamic scheduling and channel creation, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates segmenting of pre-encoded media content to depict a framework for dynamic scheduling and channel creation by the media content packaging and distribution system of FIG. 1B, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIGS. 3A and 3B, collectively, depict a flow chart illustrating exemplary operations for dynamic scheduling and channel creation based on real-time or near-real-time content context analysis in the media content packaging and distribution system of FIG. 1B, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary scenario for dynamic scheduling and channel creation based on real-time or near-real-time content context analysis, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a media content packaging and distribution system employing a processing system for dynamic scheduling and channel creation based on real-time or near-real-time content context analysis, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Certain embodiments of the disclosure may be found in a method and system for dynamic scheduling and channel creation based on real-time or near-real-time content context analysis. Various embodiments of the disclosure provide a method and system that simplifies scheduling and channel creation process, and provides the network provider with an ability to not only provide new channel offerings in cost-effective manner but also provide enhanced user experience to increase their appeal in order to gain wider audience.

In accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure, a media content packaging and distribution system is provided that handles creation and distribution of media content for one or more channels for consuming systems and/or consuming devices. The media content packaging and distribution system receives a media feed and a first programming schedule of a first channel of the one or more channels from a source device. A user-preference is received from a first consumer device of the plurality of consumer devices on which the first channel is viewed and/or instructions may also be received from a programming service. One or more other live feeds of other channels of the one or more channels or pre-encoded media assets are analyzed, based on content context analysis. A media item to be inserted (based on the received user-preference) in the media feed of the first channel is recommend based on the content context analysis. The recommended media item is dynamically scheduled in the media content feed of the first channel to be delivered over a distribution system to be viewed on the first consumer device based on the content context analysis.

In accordance with an embodiment, the content context analysis may be executed in real time or near-real time. Closed captions, subtitles, and other content-specific metadata such as game scores, statistics, time, and so on, associated with the one or more other live feeds of the other channels of the one or more channels or the pre-encoded media assets may be parsed for the content context analysis. The content context analysis may correspond to content enabled detection, for example, automatic content recognition (ACR)-enabled detection, of the media item from the one or more other live feeds of the other channels of the one or more channels or the pre-encoded media assets, based on the received user-preference. In-stream program metadata and/or externally referenced metadata associated with the one or more other live feeds of the other channels of the one or more channels may be parsed for the content context analysis. Further, usage history, session history, previous decision results, pre-stored metadata, and other historical data may be utilized for the content context analysis.

The first programming schedule may be modified to generate a second programming schedule to deliver the recommended media item over the distribution system to be viewed on the first consumer device, or other consuming process, based on the content context analysis. A second channel may be created from the first channel based on the received user-preference, the content context analysis, and the generated second programming schedule. A programming history that corresponds to the generated second programming schedule, decision results, and other relevant metadata may be retained for use in future programming decisions, recommendations, and analysis.

In accordance with an embodiment, a plurality of new channels may be created on-the-fly from the first channel based on different user-preferences received from the first consumer device, the content context analysis based on the different user-preferences, and the different programming schedules generated based on the modification of the first programming schedule of the first channel. In accordance with an embodiment, the plurality of new channels may be created from the first channel based on a plurality of user-preferences received from the plurality of consumer devices, the content context analysis based on received plurality of user-preferences, and a plurality of programming schedules generated for the plurality of consumer devices based on the modification of the first programming schedule of the first channel. An upcoming inbound trigger, signaling point, and/or signal may be detected in the received media feed after the recommendation of the media item to determine a point of insertion of the recommended media item in the received media feed of the first channel. In accordance with an embodiment, programming for the first channel may be altered or extended on-the-fly based on different user-preferences received from the first consumer device, the content context analysis based on the different user-preferences, and the different programming schedules generated based on the modification of the first programming schedule of the first channel.

In accordance with an embodiment, a notification of the recommended media item may be communicated to the first consumer device to seek a confirmation to display the recommended media item on the first consumer device. The dynamic scheduling and the delivery of an unplanned media item that corresponds to the recommended media item in the media feed of the first channel may be further achieved based on the received confirmation from the first consumer device. Alternatively, the dynamic scheduling and the delivery of the unplanned media item that corresponds to the recommended media item in the media feed of the first channel is further based on an aggregation of votes or user-preferences from a plurality of consumer devices. It may be determined whether to insert the recommended media item in the received media feed of the first channel based on the received confirmation from the first consumer device. The recommendation of the media item to be inserted in a spot of the received media feed may be done based on a real-time or near real-time event detected in the one or more other live feeds of other channels of the one or more channels by the content context analysis. One or more media items that corresponds to the recommended media item inserted in one or more spots of the received media feed may be stitched to generate a program stream for distribution to a set of the plurality of consumer devices.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary system for dynamic scheduling and channel creation, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1A, the system 100, comprises a media packaging and distribution system 102 that is communicatively coupled to published data sources 104 a, . . . , 104 n, advertiser order generation and advertisement decisioning systems (AOGADS) 106 a, . . . , 106 n, via a network 108 and/or other programmatic means. There is shown consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n that are communicatively coupled to the network 108. The media content packaging and distribution system 102 may comprise a scheduler 112, a system for converting pre-encoded media content for live distribution, hereinafter referred to pre-encoded media content converter (PEMCC) 114, and a data storage system 116. There is also shown a source device 118 communicatively coupled to the scheduler 112 and the network 108. An external data source 120 is also provided, which is communicatively coupled to the data storage system 116, and the network 108.

The media content packaging and distribution system 102 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to execute code that handles distribution of content comprising audio, video, images, metadata, and/or other data (embedded and/or externally referenced). The media content packaging and distribution system 102 handles distribution, for example, multicasting, unicasting, broadcasting, streaming, for one or more channels to be viewed on one or more of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. The media content packaging and distribution system 102 may be operated by an entity related to handling or distribution of media content, for example, a broadcast provider or operator, or a network provider or operator. The entity related to handling or distribution of media content may also refer to a content owner, a distributor, a syndicator, a re-distributor, a content aggregator, a search, discovery, or cataloging service provider, or any other entity actively or passively involved with the distribution, cataloging, or referencing of complete or partial presentations of media content. The media content may include a video, an audio, a combination of audio and video presentations, a combination of audio, video, and/or embedded or externally referenced metadata, a combination of multiple-audio, multiple-video, and/or embedded or externally referenced metadata. The media content may also include metadata associated with the audio/video presentation, such as game scores, statistics, or timings, social media, cast/character/credits, geo-spatial data, and/or still-images or graphics (referenced or embedded). Throughout this document, the terms broadcast provider or broadcast operator, and network provider or network operator may be utilized to refer to the entity related to handling or distribution of media content, interchangeably. The broadcast provider may handle a single channel or a plurality of channels, or one or more networks. The broadcast provider may be configured to distribute content via one or more platforms, for example, traditional over-the-air broadcast channels, radio, cable television networks, satellite communication networks, the Internet, and/or other content delivery networks (CDNs).

Each of the plurality of published data sources 104 a, . . . , 104 n may be coupled to one or more television networks and may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to execute code that provides actual audiences for programs that were distributed. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the plurality of published data sources 104 a, . . . , 104 n are coupled to the media content packaging and distribution system 102 via the network 108. The plurality of published data sources 104 a, . . . , 104 n may provide actual audiences for programs to the data storage system 116. An exemplary published data source may be Nielsen. Another exemplary published data source may be a published database that provides ratings for a media item, such as gross rating point (GRP). The GRP is an advertising or a promotion impact measure for each advertising and/or promotional campaigns, known in the art. Other exemplary published data sources may also include direct/indirect access to other public or private data sources (persistent or ephemeral) through programmatic means.

The AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to place orders with the network provider that include information about type of spots to be distributed (e.g. multicast or broadcast), the number of spots to be distributed, and when should the spots be distributed. The media content packaging and distribution system 102 may be configured to electronically receive, via the network 108, deals comprising advertisers' orders from the plurality of AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n. The AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n may provide multiple orders, which need not be submitted at the same time. Therefore, orders with new or additional spots to be placed and any previously determined commercial break schedule may needs to be updated to accommodate the constraints and requirements of those spots already placed and of the new spots being received. In this regard, the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n may electronically book spots to a selling title (ST), and within the selling title there are constraints. The advertiser's order comprises airing constraints and placement requirements corresponding to the one or more spots, and each of the one or more commercial breaks comprises a plurality of inventory buckets. The airing constraints corresponding to each of the one or more spots comprise, for example, one or more of network constraints, selling title constraints, inventory utilization type constraints, allowable date and time constraints, and advertiser conflict constraints. In accordance with an embodiment, when the advertisements are inserted into a source stream, the advertisements are usually run (or pass) through the order generation component of the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n. The advertisement decisioning component of the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n is used during a real-time content or advertisement placement activity, for example during dynamic ad insertion. For example, commercial or non-commercial advertisements may be dynamically inserted within program segments of a media feed based on the detected upcoming inbound trigger, signaling point, and/or signal in a source stream by the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n. The AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n may utilize the programming schedule to identity the opportunities for the real-time content or advertisement placement activity. In accordance with an embodiment, the advertisement decisioning component of the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n may be implemented in a client device, such as one or more of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. In such a case, the advertisement decisioning component of the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n may identify real-time content or advertisement placement opportunity for dynamic ad insertion. For example, commercial or non-commercial advertisements may be dynamically inserted within program segments of a media feed based on the detected upcoming inbound trigger, signaling point, and/or signal in a source stream by the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n when implemented in the client device.

The network 108 may be any kind of network, or a combination of various networks, and it is shown illustrating the communication that may occur between the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n and the media content packaging and distribution system 102. For example, the network 108 may comprise one or more of a cable television network, the Internet, a satellite communication network, a wide area network (WAN), a medium area network (MAN), and a local area network (LAN). Although a network 108 is shown, the disclosure is not limited in this regard, Accordingly, other exemplary modes may comprise uni-directional or bi-directional distribution, such as packet-radio, satellite. Furthermore, the network 108 is an exemplary embodiment of a distribution system.

The consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n may refer to end-user devices or consumption devices where the content is played to be consumed by a user. The number of impressions of a media item, such as an advertisement and/or promotional media, on such plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n determines the advertising impact or promotion impact and number of actual audiences achieved during campaigns. Examples of the consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n may include, but are not limited to connected TVs, connected TV with paired and/or connected devices (e.g., HDMI sticks, tablets), and second screen devices such as smartphones, tablets, game consoles, personal computers, set-top boxes, embedded devices, or any process/system capable of processing the output for any means, regardless of the capability or intent to decode for media presentation.

The scheduler 112 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to execute a code that handles a programming schedule of a channel. The programming schedule of a channel defines what media content should be scheduled, the ordering of the media content during playout, and when to distribute the content. The media content that is distributed may include both the programming content, such as long-form presentations, short-form presentations, news or sporting events; and non-programming content, such as paid advertisements, public service advertisements, or promotional material. In accordance with an embodiment, the programming schedule may comprise data structures or file formats capable of being processed by a computer, that comprise a reference mapping of different media content items that needs to be stitched by the PEMCC 114. The scheduler 112 may receive a programming schedule of an existing channel from the source device 118. The scheduler 112 may modify the received programming schedule to generate a new programming schedule, where the generation of the new programming schedule may be driven by real time or near-real time content context analysis, user-selection on a consumer device, such as the consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, or driven by external data received from the external data source 120.

The PEMCC 114 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to execute a code to stitch one or more media items in accordance with the specified play schedule, such as the generated new programming schedule, to generate a specific program stream to be delivered to one or more of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, based on the defined parameters. In accordance with an embodiment, the PEMCC 114 may be configured to stitch one or more pre-encoded media assets stored in the data storage system 116 with newly encoded live media sources to create a program stream for a new channel that is in a suitable state (or ready) to be distributed to one or more of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n without a requirement to re-encode the pre-encoded media assets before the distribution of the program stream of the new channel. In this regard, a stream could be tailored for a single device of the consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, or for a plurality of the consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. The decisioning as to which pre-encoded media assets to select for delivery over the network 108 to the one or more of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n may be based on the manipulation of the programming schedules that may be done in real time or near-real time. The manipulation of the programming schedules is driven by real time or near-real time content context analysis, user-selection on the consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, or driven by external data received from the external data source 120. The PEMCC 114 may also be referred to as a stream manipulator that may be configured to insert live content or pre-stored media content, in an existing program stream based on manipulation of a programming schedule of an existing program stream, such as an existing channel. The insertion of live content, pre-stored media content, pre-encoded media assets, and/or the like may be driven by real time or near-real time content context analysis, user-selection on the consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, or driven by external data received from the external data source 120. Alternatively, both the live or pre-stored programming content (such as long-form presentations, short-form presentations, news or sporting events); and non-programming content, such as paid advertisements, public service advertisements, or promotional material, may be dynamically scheduled, inserted, and stitched to create new channels based on real time or near-real time (or with a certain lag time) manipulation of the programming schedule.

The data storage system 116 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to store pre-encoded media content segments, such as VOD assets, live content segments, and metadata related to the pre-encoded media content segments and the live content segments. The data storage system 116 may also store, process, and generate aggregate viewing information based on various data feeds received from the external data source 120 and the published data sources 104 a, . . . , 104 n.

The source device 118 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to communicate a media feed and a programming schedule of a channel, such as an existing channel, to the media content packaging and distribution system 102. In accordance with an embodiment, the media feed of the channel may corresponds to a broadcast feed. The source device 118 may be communicatively coupled to the network 108.

The external data source 120 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to execute code that handles retrieval and storage of audience data that corresponds to subscribers of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. The audience data may include demographics data, audience targeting data, trending data, device type data, device platform data, and content recognition-based data, such as automatic content recognition (ACR)-based data. The trending data comprises information of what's trending in the social networks (or platforms), such as Twitter, Tacebook, and the like. The trending data also comprises information of what's trending based on social engagement, such as number of likes or votes to a particular media item, or number of people watching a particular media item. The trending data may indicate an aggregate interest level of a number of users in the social networks for a particular media item. For example, a thousand or more shares, or likes by a number of users may indicate a highly popular media item.

In operation, the media content packaging and distribution system 102 may be configured to handle distribution of one or more channels to be viewed on one or more of the plurality of consumer devices, such as the consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. The scheduler 112 may be configured to receive a media feed and a first programming schedule of a first channel of the one or more channels from the source device 118. An application server (described in FIG. 1B) may be configured to receive a user-preference from a first consumer device of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n on which the first channel is viewed. The scheduler 112 may be configured to analyze, based on content context analysis, one or more other live feeds of other channels of the one or more channels or pre-encoded media assets stored in the data storage system 116. The scheduler 112 may be further configured to recommend, based on the content context analysis, a media item to be inserted in the media feed of the first channel, based on the received user-preference. The scheduler 112 may be configured to dynamically schedule the recommended media item in the media feed of the first channel to be delivered over a distribution system, for example, the network 108, to be viewed on the first consumer device of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. The scheduler 112 may be configured to dynamically schedule the recommended media item based on the content context analysis executed in real time or near-real time. The scheduler 112 may modify the first programming schedule to generate a second programming schedule to deliver the recommended media item over the network 108. The PEMCC 114 may be configured to stitch one or more media items that corresponds to the recommended media item in one or more spots of the received media feed to generate a program stream for distribution to the first consumer device or other consumer devices of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary media content packaging and distribution system for dynamic scheduling and channel creation, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1B, the media content packaging and distribution system 102 may further comprise an application server 122, a live content storage system 124, a media content storage system 126, and a metadata cloud storage system 128. The metadata cloud storage system 128 may include VOD program metadata 128A, live program metadata 128B, and aggregate viewing information 128C. The live content storage system 124, the media content storage system 126, and the metadata cloud storage system 128 may be provided in the data storage system 116, as described in FIG. 1A. There is shown the scheduler 112, the PEMCC 114, and the source device 118 provided in the media content packaging and distribution system 102, as described in FIG. 1A. There is also shown a CDN 130, which is an example of the network 108, a client device 132, which is one of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, and a user 134 associated with the client device 132.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the scheduler 112, the PEMCC 114, and the application server 122 may be integrated to form an integrated system. In some embodiments of the disclosure, as shown, the scheduler 112, the PEMCC 114, and the application server 122 may be distinct. Other separation and/or combination of the various entities of the exemplary media content packaging and distribution system 102 illustrated in FIG. 1B may be done without departing from the spirit and scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure.

The application server 122 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to communicate a notification of a recommended media item to a consumer device, for example, the client device 132. The notification may be communicated to seek a confirmation from a user, such as the user 134 associated with the client device 132 to display the recommended media item on the client device 132. The application server 122 may further receive an input that corresponds to the confirmation from the user 134 associated with the client device 132 to display the recommended media item on the client device 132, and further communicate the received input to the scheduler 112. The application server 122 may be further configured to receive user-preferences from the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. In accordance with an embodiment, the application server 122 may be configured to receive an input that corresponds to user-selections on the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, such as the client device 132, over the network 108. The application server 122 acts as an interface between the scheduler 112 of the media content packaging and distribution system 102 and the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, such as the client device 132.

The live content storage system 124 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to store live content segments of one or more live feeds of channels, such as a live broadcast feed of a CNN channel. The live content storage system 124 may be communicatively coupled to the CDN 130 to receive the one or more live feeds of channels. The media content storage system 126 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to store media content segments such as VOD content segments. The media content storage system 126 may be communicatively coupled to the CDN 130. The media content storage system 126 may include pre-encoded media assets.

The metadata cloud storage system 128 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to store VOD program metadata 128A, live program metadata 128B, and aggregate viewing information 128C. The VOD program metadata 128A may include metadata associated with media content segments stored in the media content storage system 126. Examples of the VOD program metadata 128A may include a media item identifier, a title of the media item, a short summary of the media content segments, a short summary of ideal ad placements within the content, a file format, digital right management (DRM), encryption information, length of the media item, a date and/or time the media item was added to the catalog of media items, a new item indicator for the media item (e.g., a new media asset that became available within the last 24 hours, last few days, last week, and/or the like), a media item class, for example, a television show, a cartoon program, a movie, a news media, an episode, a game, a clip, a recorded sports event, interactive media, and/or the like. In general, the clip may be curated or editorially selected excerpts from existing full episodes, TV shows, or movies. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the VOD program metadata 128A may also store program-specific information (PSI) data as defined by ISO/IEC 13818-1 (MPEG-2), closed captioning data, and subtitles associated with the media content segments stored in the media content storage system 126. Other forms of metadata may be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure.

The aggregate viewing information 128C may include audience-based parameters. The audience-based parameters may include calculated values derived by processing of audience data, which corresponds to subscribers of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, received from the external data source 120. The audience-based parameters may also include a path to retrieve a media item, for example, a trending media item, from the external data source 120 or other content servers.

The live program metadata 128B may include metadata associated with live content segments of one or more live feeds of channels stored in the live content storage system 124. Examples of the live program metadata 128B may include a media item identifier, a title of the media item, a short summary of the content segments, a file format, encryption information, length of the media item, a date and/or time the media item was added to the catalog of media items, a new item indicator for the media item, a media item class, for example, a television show, a cartoon program, a movie, a news media, an episode, a game, a clip, a recorded sports event, interactive media, and/or the like. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the live program metadata 128B may also store program-specific information (PSI) data as defined by ISO/IEC13818-1 (MPEG-2), closed captioning data, subtitles, and one or more inbound triggers, signals, or markers, of the live media feed associated with the live content segments stored in the live content storage system 124. Other forms of metadata may be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure.

The CDN 130 may correspond to the network 108. The CDN 130 may comprise networks configured for distributing media content. Generally, the term “content,” “metadata,” “media,” and similar words are used interchangeably to refer to any type of media—audio, videos, datacasts, music, text, images, graphics, articles, photos, photo galleries, video galleries, infographics, maps, polls, guest biographies, tweets or other social media, blog posts, and/or the like. The CDN 130 may be configured for providing the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, such as the client device 132, with media content via transport stream, segmented streaming, progressive download, or any other modes of distributing a multimedia presentation, such as via an over-the-air content delivery/distribution network, a linear content delivery/distribution network, a cable content delivery/distribution network, a satellite content delivery/distribution network, an Internet Protocol (IP) based content delivery/distribution network, and/or the like.

The client device 132 may be one of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. In accordance with an embodiment, the client device 132 may be an ACR-enabled device. The client device 132 may be configured to communicate with the application server 122, via the CDN 130, or a separate communication network.

FIG. 2 illustrates an arrangement of pre-encoded media assets in accordance with a programming schedule to depict a framework for dynamic scheduling and channel creation by the media content packaging and distribution system of FIG. 1B, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to the exemplary arrangement of FIG. 2, there is shown a first media asset 202, a second media asset 204, a third media asset 206. There is also shown a first interstitial content item 208 placed after the first media asset 202, and a second interstitial content item 210 placed after the second media asset 204. Each media assets 202, 204, and 206 may be a pre-encoded content item, and may be stored in the media content storage system 126 in segments or other forms. For example, the first media asset 202 may be segmented into first set of video segments 202 a, 202 b, 202 c, . . . , 202 n. Similarly, the second media asset 204 and the third media asset 206 may also be segmented into second set of video segments 204 a, 204 b, 204 c, . . . , 204 n, and third set of video segments 206 a, 206 b, 206 c, . . . , 206 n respectively. By way of example, the segmentation may be executed by a segmenting system (not shown) during a preparation stage of the media assets. In accordance with an embodiment, all the segments of the first set of video segments 202 a, 202 b, 202 c, . . . , 202 n, the second set of video segments 204 a, 204 b, 204 c, . . . , 204 n, and third set of video segments 206 a, 206 b, 206 c, . . . , 206 n, may be segmented into consistent length, for example, 10 seconds segments. It may be advantageous to have a consistent and smaller file size of segments to be able to quickly push to the CDN 130, and also for quick downloading by a media player at the end-user side, such as on the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. During the preparation stage of the media assets, an optimum size (or length) of segments may be determined by the segmentation system. Smaller chunks or segments of VOD assets may be difficult to manage as metadata associated with them may increase, whereas larger chunks or segments may be difficult to communicate by the media content packaging and distribution system 102 and also to be downloaded by the media player so as to maintain an adequate buffer for consistent streaming and playback at the media player. Thus, an optimal size of segments may be determined. It is to be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and segments of different file sizes (or length) may be used without departure from the scope of the present disclosure. Further, it should be recognized by one skilled in the art that other streaming protocols may require a different processing of media content. Thus, the scope of the disclosure should not be limited to the processing or preparation of media content to allow delivery using different delivery methods, streaming protocols, or distribution system, known in the art. Further, instead of the media assets arranged, as shown, live content segments may be arranged after, in between, or prior to a media asset (e.g. VOD content segments) or an interstitial content item. The insertion of the live content segments may be done on-the-fly based on dynamic scheduling and programming schedule manipulation. The insertion of live content, pre-stored media content, pre-encoded media assets, and/or the like, may be driven by real time or near-real time content context analysis, user-selection on the consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, or driven by external data received from the external data source 120. The scheduler 112 in association with the PEMCC 114 (also referred to as a stream manipulator) may be configured to insert live content or pre-stored media content, in an existing program stream based on manipulation of a programming schedule of an existing program stream, such as an existing channel.

In accordance with an embodiment, each segment of the first set of video segments 202 a, 202 b, 202 c, . . . , 202 n, the second set of video segments 204 a, 204 b, 204 c, . . . , 204 n, and third set of video segments 206 a, 206 b, 206 c, . . . , 206 n, may be further processed to be stored at various quality levels, and content encryption modes for the purposes of adaptive bitrate streaming and Digital Rights Management, for example, the video segment 202 a may be stored in a plurality of quality levels, for example, high definition (HD), high dynamic range (HDR) video, or different quality levels in accordance with specified pixel resolutions, bitrates, frame rates, and/or sample frequencies. As each of the media assets, such as the media assets 202 to 206, are pre-encoded, segmented, and stored in the plurality of quality levels in the media content storage system 126, the media assets may be re-used to create new channels, such as new program streams, without requiring to re-encode a selected media asset when a new program stream is created using the pre-encoded media assets.

For the sake of brevity, and with reference to FIG. 2, there is shown an example of media packaging for adaptive streaming using certain protocols or streaming methods for at least one delivery method of the distribution system. It is to be understood that media packaging for different delivery methods (such as analog terrestrial broadcast, digital terrestrial broadcast, direct-to-home satellite broadcast, cable, other Internet Protocol (IP)-based delivery methods, over-the-top television (OTT)), different streaming protocols, or distribution system, may be different. The media content may be prepared to be viewed one or more of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, based on at least the desired delivery method, delivery conditions, content protection requirements, to satisfy operational and technical requirements, as needed. The operational and technical requirements may include, but are not limited to, media encoding, media segmentation, programming schedule (or manifest) creation or manipulation requirements, desired media encryption, and/or metadata signaling requirements. For example, in certain scenarios and for certain media content delivery methods, network bandwidth, network conditions, or device-type where media content is to be consumed may not be variable or known in advance. In such a case, creating different quality levels for a same media asset may not be required. Further, based on different operational and technical requirements, media packaging or the arrangement of media assets or other content in a program stream may be different. The media content that is prepared and distributed may include both the programming content, such as long-form presentations, short-form presentations, news or sporting events; and non-programming content, such as paid advertisements, public service advertisements, or promotional material.

Currently, dedicated encoders, such as physical encoders, are used to encode each program stream before distribution or transmission (i.e. before a distribution of a program stream of a channel). Such dedicated encoders are not only costly but also limit ability of a broadcast provider to swap or change content dynamically in a program stream as each content item needs to pass through such dedicated encoders for transmission. In other words, if any new content item is to be inserted in the program stream of channel that is to be distributed, that program stream then needs to be re-encoded again. This in turn increases re-work and requires installation of large infrastructures and resources to maintain uninterrupted content delivery for existing channel and limits the ability of the broadcast or network provider to change content in real time or near-real time. In accordance with the various embodiments of the present disclosure, the media content packaging and distribution system 102 provides an ability to dynamically schedule a media item, such as a pre-encoded media asset, and insert the media item in an existing live media feed of a channel to be directly delivered over a distribution system (such as one or more delivery methods) to be viewed on one or more consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. The program stream in which the new media item is inserted may not be required to pass through the dedicated encoders before delivery over the network 108, such as the CDN 130.

FIGS. 3A and 3B, collectively, depict a flow chart illustrating exemplary operations for dynamic scheduling and channel creation based on real-time or near-real-time content context analysis in the media content packaging and distribution system of FIG. 1B, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, there is shown a flow chart 300 comprising exemplary operations 302 through 324.

At 302, a media feed and a first programming schedule of a first channel of one or more channels may be received from the source device 118. In accordance with an embodiment, instead of the media feed as such, an identifier of the media feed, may be received. The scheduler 112 may receive the media feed and the first programming schedule of the first channel, such as an existing channel.

At 304, a user-preference may be received from a first consumer device, such as the client device 132, of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, on which the first channel is viewed. The application server 122 may be configured to receive the user-preference from the first consumer device, and further communicate to the scheduler 112. The user 134 may set one or more user-preferences on the first consumer device 402 with regards to viewing of the first channel. Examples of the one or more user-preferences may include, but are not limited to set preferences, such as “break-away to important or unplanned breaking news”, “break-away to an interesting moment in a sports event”, “break-away to a live show”, “break-away to important events in stock market (such as a stock market crash or a bullion)”, or “break-away to a media item that features game play of a favorite sports player”. Thus, an unplanned event, that may be based on a real time or a near-real time event, may drive selection of one or more pre-encoded media assets or live content segments from the media content storage system 126 or the live content storage system 124. In accordance with an embodiment, the scheduler 112 may also be configured to receive instructions from a programming service. The programming service may be configured to receive and analyze the user-preference and communicate instructions to the scheduler 112. The programming service may be provided in the application server 122 or integrated with the scheduler 112.

At 306, one or more other live feeds of other channels of the one or more channels or pre-encoded media assets may be analyzed based on content context analysis. The content context analysis may be a real time or near-real time content context analysis executed using closed captions or other metadata stored in the metadata cloud storage system 128. The content context analysis may also be done based on content recognition-based detection, for example, ACR-enabled detection, of the media item from the one or more other live feeds of the other channels of the one or more channels or the pre-encoded media assets, based on the received user-preference or instructions. The content recognition-based detection (or ACR-enabled detection) refers to processing of visual features of actual content for auto content recognition of the media items from the one or more other live feeds of the other channels or the pre-encoded media assets to search a media item that may match with the set user-preference.

At 308, closed captions (CC), subtitles, and/or other metadata associated with the one or more other live feeds of the other channels of the one or more channels or the pre-encoded media assets may be parsed for the content context analysis. For example, analysis of CC, subtitle, and/or other metadata may indicate “breaking news” for of a distribution (e.g. broadcast or multicast) signal (or stream) that also includes the program stream for the first channel. The broadcast or multicast signal (or stream) may correspond to a container format that may include the one or more other live feeds of the other channels including the first channel of the network provider. In accordance with an embodiment, the CC, subtitles, and/or other metedata analysis may be performed in the live program metadata 128B and/or the pre-encoded program metadata 128A.

At 310, in-stream program metadata or externally referenced metadata associated with the one or more other live feeds of the other channels of the one or more channels may also be parsed for the contextual analysis. The metadata may refer to metadata associated with different channels in a live broadcast feed, such as “Live content 1 of channel 1, such as a CNN channel, and “Live content 2 of channel 2” received from the CDN 130, as shown in FIG. 1B. The metadata, both embedded and externally referenced, from the live feeds may be obtained and stored as the live program metadata 128B in the metadata cloud storage system 128. Further, usage history, session history, previous decision results, pre-stored metadata, and other relevant historical data may be utilized for the content context analysis.

At 312, based on the content context analysis, a media item to be inserted in the media feed of the first channel may be recommended. The recommendation may be done based on the received user-preference. The recommendation of the media item to be inserted in a spot of the received media feed is based on a real-time or near real-time event detected in the one or more other live feeds of other channels of the one or more channels by the content context analysis. In accordance with an embodiment, a theme based detection of content currently played on the first consumer device may also drive selection of one or more pre-encoded media assets from the media content storage system 126. For example, a sports team won a series title as detected based on contextual analysis using the metadata associated with the first channel. Thereafter, various stories related to the team or other relevant stories may be identified from the pre-encoded media stored in the media content storage system 126 to generate a recommendation.

At 314, a notification of the recommended media item may be communicated to the first consumer device to seek a confirmation to display the recommended media item on the first consumer device. The application server 122 may be configured to communicate the notification to the first consumer device.

At 316, it may be checked whether the confirmation is received from the first consumer device. In case the confirmation is received, it may be determined to insert the recommended media item in the received media feed of the first channel, and the control passes to 318. In case the confirmation is not received or display of recommended media item is denied, the control may pass back to 306.

At 318, the first programming schedule may be modified to generate a second programming schedule to deliver the recommended media item over the network 108 to be viewed on the first consumer device based on the content context analysis. The scheduler 112 may be configured to modify the first programming schedule to generate the second programming schedule. In accordance with an embodiment, the scheduler 112 may be configured to detect an upcoming inbound trigger, a marker such as SCTE-104 marker or SCTE-35, in the received media feed after the recommendation of the media item to determine a point of insertion of the recommended media item in the received media feed of the first channel. In accordance with an embodiment, the scheduler 112 may be configured to alter or extend programming for the first channel on-the-fly based on different user-preferences received from the first consumer device, the content context analysis based on the different user-preferences, and the different programming schedules generated based on the modification of the first programming schedule of the first channel.

At 320, the recommended media item may be dynamically scheduled in the media feed of the first channel to be delivered over a distribution system (such as the CDN 130) to be viewed on the first consumer device, based on the content context analysis. The scheduler 112 may be configured to dynamically schedule the recommended media item. In accordance with an embodiment, the dynamic scheduling and the delivery of an unplanned media item that corresponds to the recommended media item in the media feed of the first channel is further based on the received confirmation from the first consumer device. Alternatively, the dynamic scheduling and the delivery of the unplanned media item that corresponds to the recommended media item in the media feed of the first channel is further based on an aggregation of votes or user-preferences received from the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. A programming history that corresponds to the generated second programming schedule, decision results, and other relevant metadata may be retained for use in future programming decisions, recommendations, and analysis. The PEMCC 114 may be configured to handle stitching of the media item in operation 320. In this regard, for example, the PEMCC 114 may be configured to stitch or insert the unplanned media item that corresponds to the recommended media item in the media feed of the first channel.

At 322, a second channel may be created from the first channel based on the received user-preference, the content context analysis, and the generated second programming schedule. The PEMCC 114 may be configured to stitch the recommended media item based on the modified first programming schedule such that the second channel is created to be directly delivered over the distribution system. One or more media items that corresponds to the recommended media item may be stitched in one or more spots of the received media feed to generate a program stream for distribution to a set of the plurality of consumer devices. The PEMCC 114 may be configured to handle creation of the second channel in operation 322. In this regard, for example, the PEMCC 114 may be configured to handle creation of the second channel based on insertion of one or more media items.

At 324, a plurality of new channels may be created on-the-fly from the first channel. The plurality of new channels may be created based on different user-preferences received from the first consumer device, and/or at least a second consumer device, the content context analysis done based on the different user-preferences, and the different programming schedules generated based on the modification of the first programming schedule of the first channel. The creation of the plurality of new channels on-the-fly refers to a real time or a near-real time creation of the plurality of new channels based on the received user-preference. In accordance with an embodiment, similar to the creation of the plurality of new channels based on different user-preferences received from a single device, such as the first consumer device, the plurality of new channels from the first channel may also be created based on a plurality of user-preferences received from the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. The content context analysis may be done based on received plurality of user-preferences for the creation of the plurality of new channels. A plurality of programming schedules may be generated for the plurality of consumer devices based on the modification of the first programming schedule of the first channel.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary scenario for real-time or near-real-time content context analysis-driven dynamic scheduling and channel creation, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown an exemplary illustrative scenario 400 that includes a first consumer device 402 a, a plurality of other consumer devices 402 b, . . . , 402 n, the CDN 130, and the media content packaging and distribution system 102. There is also shown a movie channel 406 in which a media item, such as a movie 408, is played on a display screen 404 of the first consumer device 402 a. The user 134 may be associated with the first consumer device 402 (which may be the client device 132).

In accordance with the exemplary illustrative scenario 400, the movie channel 406 may correspond to a program stream of an existing channel that is distributed (such as a multicast) to the first consumer device 402 a and the plurality of other consumer devices 402 b, . . . , 402 n. The first consumer device 402 and the plurality of other consumer devices 402 b, . . . , 402 n corresponds to the plurality of other consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. The user 134 may set one or more user-preferences on the first consumer device 402 with regards to viewing of the movie channel 406. For example, break-away to important or unplanned breaking news, break-away to an interesting moment in a sports event, break-away to a live show of <celebrity name or show name>, break-away to important events in stock markets, or break-away to a media item that features game play of my favorite sports player <sports player name>. Such set user-preferences may be received by the application server 122 of the media content packaging and distribution system 102. The application server 122 may then communicate the user-preferences received from or identified by the first consumer device 402, on which the movie channel 406 is currently viewed, to the scheduler 112. The scheduler 112 may then analyze, based on a real time or near-real time content context analysis, one or more other live feeds of other channels that are distributed (such as a multicast) together with the movie channel. For example, the scheduler 112 may parse closed captions associated with the one or more other live feeds of the other channels to analyze context of the content in the closed captions. In an event, a breaking news, such as a term “plane crash” is detected in the metadata associated with the one or more other live feeds of the other channels, the programming schedule of the movie channel 406 is modified in real time or near-real time. The scheduler 112 may be configured to recommend, based on the content context analysis, a media item that corresponds to the plane crash to be inserted in the program stream (media feed) of the movie channel 406, based on the received user-preference<break-away to important or unplanned breaking news>. The scheduler 112 may communicate the information of the recommended media item, such as the breaking news media item 412, detected in the metadata to the application server 122. The application server 122 may be configured to communicate a notification 410 of the recommended media item to the first consumer device 402, as shown. The notification 410 may be communicated to seek a confirmation from the user 134 associated with the first consumer device 402 to display the recommended media item. In case the application server 122 receives an input that corresponds to the confirmation from the first consumer device 402, the input related to confirmation may be communicated to the scheduler 112.

The scheduler 112 may be configured to modify the programming schedule to dynamically schedule the recommended media item that corresponds to the breaking news of plane crash. The PEMCC 114 may be configured to stitch in real time or near-real time (a dynamic stitching) the recommended media item referenced in the modified programming schedule of the movie channel 406. The dynamically modified program stream that now includes the inserted recommended media item is communicated via the CDN 130 to be viewed on the first consumer device 402. The first consumer device 402 may be configured to display the recommended media item, such as the breaking news media item 412, on the movie channel 406 interrupting the movie 408 played on the movie channel 406, as shown. After the breaking news media item 412 is played, the video segment of the movie 408, then stopped, may be resumed.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a media content packaging and distribution system employing a processing system for dynamic scheduling and channel creation based on real-time or near-real-time content context analysis, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5, the hardware implementation shown by a representation 1000 for the media content packaging and distribution system 102 employs a processing system 1002 for dynamic scheduling and channel creation, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, as described herein. In some examples, the processing system 1002 may comprise one or more hardware processors 1004, a non-transitory computer-readable medium 1006, the scheduler 112, a hardware PEMCC 114, the data storage system 116, the application server 122, a hardware live content storage system 124, a hardware media content storage system 126, and a hardware metadata cloud storage system 128. In accordance with an embodiment, the data storage system 116 may include the hardware live content storage system 124, the hardware media content storage system 126, and the hardware metadata cloud storage system 128. It should be recognized that, in some embodiment of the disclosure, one or more components of FIG. 5 may include software whose corresponding code may be executed by a at least one processor, for across multiple processing environments. For example, the scheduler 112, the data storage system 116, the application server 122 may include software that may be executed across a single or multiple processing environments.

In this example, the media content packaging and distribution system 102 employing the processing system 1002 may be implemented with bus architecture, represented generally by bus 1008. The bus 1008 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific implementation of the media content packaging and distribution system 102 and the overall design constraints. The bus 1008 links together various circuits including the one or more processors, represented generally by the processor 1004, the non-transitory computer-readable media, represented generally by the computer-readable medium 1006, the scheduler 112, the hardware PEMCC 114, the data storage system 116, the application server 122, the hardware live content storage system 124, the hardware media content storage system 126, and the hardware metadata cloud storage system 128 which may be configured to carry out one or more operations or methods described herein. A bus interface 1010 provides an interface between the bus 1008 and a transceiver 1012. The transceiver 1012 provides communicating via the network 108 with various other apparatus, such as the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n, the consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, such as the client device 132 or the first consumer device 402 a, the external data source 120, and the source device 118.

The processor 1004 may be configured to manage the bus 1008 and general processing, including the execution of a set of instructions stored on the computer-readable medium 1006. The set of instructions, when executed by the processor 1004, causes the media content packaging and distribution system 102 to execute the various functions described herein for any particular apparatus. The computer-readable medium 1006 may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor 1004 when executing the set of instructions. The computer-readable medium 1006 may also be configured to store data for one or more of the scheduler 112, the hardware PEMCC 114, the data storage system 116, the application server 122, the hardware live content storage system 124, the hardware media content storage system 126, and/or the hardware metadata cloud storage system 128.

In an aspect of the disclosure, the processor 1004, the computer-readable medium 1006, or a combination of both may be configured or otherwise specially programmed to execute the operations or functionality of the scheduler 112, the hardware PEMCC 114, the data storage system 116, the application server 122, the hardware live content storage system 124, the hardware media content storage system 126, and/or the hardware metadata cloud storage system 128, or various other components described herein. For example, processor 1004, computer-readable medium 1006, or a combination of both may be configured or otherwise specially programmed to perform the operations and functionality of the scheduler 112, the hardware PEMCC 114, the data storage system 116, the application server 122, the hardware live content storage system 124, the hardware media content storage system 126, and/or the hardware metadata cloud storage system 128 as described with respect to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, 3A, 3B, 4, and 5.

Various embodiments of the disclosure comprise a media content packaging and distribution system 102 that may be configured to handle distribution of one or more channels to be viewed on one or more of a plurality of consumer devices (such as the consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n). The media content packaging and distribution system 102 may comprise, for example, the scheduler 112, the PEMCC 114, and the data storage system 116. The media content packaging and distribution system 102 may further comprise, for example, the application server 122, the live content storage system 124, the media content storage system 126, the metadata cloud storage system 128. The metadata cloud storage system 128 may further include the VOD program metadata 128A, the live program metadata 128B, and the aggregate viewing information 128C. The scheduler 112 may be configured to receive a media feed and a first programming schedule of a first channel of the one or more channels from the source device 118. The application server 122 may be configured to receive a user-preference from a first consumer device of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n on which the first channel is viewed. The scheduler 112 may be configured to analyze, based on content context analysis, one or more other live feeds of other channels of the one or more channels or pre-encoded media assets. The scheduler 112 may be configured to recommend, based on the content context analysis, a media item to be inserted in the media feed of the first channel, based on the received user-preference. The scheduler 112 may be further configured to dynamically schedule the recommended media item in the media feed of the first channel to be delivered over the network 108 to be viewed on the first consumer device based on the content context analysis.

Various embodiments of the disclosure may provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer implemented instruction that when executed by a processor causes a media content packaging and distribution system to execute operations to handle distribution of one or more channels to be viewed on one or more of a plurality of consumer devices (such as the consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n). The media content packaging and distribution system 102 may execute operations comprising receiving a media feed and a first programming schedule of a first channel of the one or more channels from the source device 118. A user-preference may be received from a first consumer device of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n on which the first channel is viewed. One or more other live feeds of other channels of the one or more channels or pre-encoded media assets may be analyzed, based on content context analysis. A media item to be inserted in the media feed of the first channel based on the received user-preference, may be recommended based on the content context analysis. The recommended media item in the media feed of the first channel to be delivered over a network to be viewed on the first consumer device may be dynamically scheduled based on the content context analysis.

As utilized herein the terms “circuits” and “circuitry” refer to physical electronic components (i.e. hardware) and any software and/or firmware (“code”) which may configure the hardware, be executed by the hardware, and/or otherwise be associated with the hardware. As used herein, for example, a particular processor and memory may comprise a first “circuit” when executing a first one or more lines of code and may comprise a second “circuit” when executing a second one or more lines of code. As utilized herein, “and/or” means any one or more of the items in the list joined by “and/or”. As an example, “x and/or y” means any element of the three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. As another example, “x, y, and/or z” means any element of the seven-element set {(x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. As utilized herein, the term “exemplary” means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As utilized herein, the terms “e.g.,” and “for example” set off lists of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations. As utilized herein, circuitry is “operable” to perform a function whenever the circuitry comprises the necessary hardware and/or code (if any is necessary) to perform the function, regardless of whether performance of the function is disabled, or not enabled, by some user-configurable setting.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and/or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Further, many embodiments are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be recognized that various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, these sequences of actions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirely within any non-transitory form of computer readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that upon execution would cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects of the disclosure may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which have been contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each of the embodiments described herein, the corresponding form of any such embodiments may be described herein as, for example, “logic configured to” perform the described action.

Another embodiment of the disclosure may provide a non-transitory machine and/or computer readable storage and/or media, having stored thereon, a machine code and/or a computer program having at least one code section executable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machine and/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for dynamic scheduling and channel creation based on real-time or near-real-time content context analysis.

The present disclosure may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, either statically or dynamically defined, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.

Further, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, algorithms, and/or steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, or combinations thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

The methods, sequences and/or algorithms described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in firmware, hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination thereof. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, physical and/or virtual disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, virtualized system or device such as a virtual sever or container, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is communicatively coupled to the processor (including logic/code executing in the processor) such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be noted understood by, for example, those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications could be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined, for example, in the appended claims. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from its scope. The functions, steps and/or actions of the method claims in accordance with the embodiments of the disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A media content packaging and distribution system, comprising: one or more processors configured to: handle distribution of a plurality of channels that are viewed on at least one consumer device of a plurality of consumer devices; receive a media feed and a first programming schedule of a first channel of the plurality of channels from a source device; receive a user-preference from a first consumer device of the plurality of consumer devices, wherein the first channel is viewed on the first consumer device; analyze, based on content context analysis, at least one live feed of a second channel of the plurality of channels or one or more pre-encoded media assets; recommend a media item for insertion in the media feed of the first channel, wherein the media item is recommended based on: the received user-preference, and the content context analysis; detect an upcoming inbound trigger in the received media feed after the recommendation of the media item; determine a point of insertion of the recommended media item in the received media feed of the first channel based on the upcoming inbound trigger; and dynamically schedule the recommended media item in the media feed of the first channel based on the content context analysis and the point of insertion, wherein the recommended media item is delivered over a network.
 2. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the content context analysis in real time or near-real time.
 3. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to parse closed captions or subtitles for the content context analysis, and wherein the closed captions or the subtitles are associated with the at least one live feed or the one or more pre-encoded media assets.
 4. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to parse in-stream program metadata or externally referenced metadata for the content context analysis, and wherein the in-stream program metadata or the externally referenced metadata is associated with the at least one live feed.
 5. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to utilize usage history, session history, previous decision results, pre-stored metadata, and historical data for the content context analysis.
 6. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the content context analysis corresponds to content recognition-based detection of the media item from the at least one live feed of the second channel or the one or more pre-encoded media assets.
 7. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate a second programming schedule to deliver the recommended media item over the network, and wherein the second programming schedule is based on the first programming schedule.
 8. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to create a third channel from the first channel based on the received user-preference, the content context analysis, and the generated second programming schedule.
 9. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to retain a programming history, decision results, and metadata for use in future programming decisions, recommendations, and analysis, and wherein the programming history corresponds to the generated second programming schedule.
 10. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: modify the first programming schedule based on the upcoming inbound trigger; generate a plurality of programming schedules based on the modification of the first programming schedule; and dynamically create a plurality of new channels from the first channel based on: the user-preference received from the first consumer device, the content context analysis, and the plurality of programming schedules.
 11. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: modify the first programming schedule based on the upcoming inbound trigger; generate a plurality of programming schedules based on the modification of the first programming schedule; and dynamically alter programming for the first channel based on: the user-preference received from the first consumer device, the content context analysis, and the plurality of programming schedules.
 12. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: modify the first programming schedule based on the upcoming inbound trigger; generate a plurality of programming schedules for the plurality of consumer devices based on the modification of the first programming schedule; and create a plurality of new channels from the first channel based on: a plurality of user-preferences received from the plurality of consumer devices, content context analysis based on the received plurality of user-preferences, and the plurality of programming schedules.
 13. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to communicate a notification of the recommended media item to the first consumer device, wherein the notification seeks a confirmation from a user of the first consumer device to display the recommended media item on the first consumer device, wherein the dynamic scheduling and delivery of the recommended media item is further based on the confirmation from the first consumer device.
 14. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 13, wherein the dynamic scheduling and the delivery of the recommended media item is further based on an aggregation of votes or user-preferences from the plurality of consumer devices.
 15. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive the confirmation to display the recommended media item from the user of the first consumer device, and wherein the recommended media item is scheduled in the received media feed of the first channel based on the received confirmation.
 16. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: stitch a plurality of media items in at least one spot of the received media feed, wherein the plurality of media items corresponds to the recommended media item that is scheduled; and generate a program stream based on the stitched plurality of media items, wherein the program stream is for distribution to the plurality of consumer devices.
 17. The media content packaging and distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: detect a real-time event or a near real-time event in the at least one live feed of the second channel based on the content context analysis; and recommend the media item based on the real-time event or the near real-time event, wherein the recommended media item is for insertion in a spot of the received media feed.
 18. A method, comprising: in a media content packaging and distribution system that is configured to handle distribution of a plurality of channels that are viewed on at least one consumer device of a plurality of consumer devices: receiving a media feed and a first programming schedule of a first channel of the plurality of channels from a source device; receiving a user-preference from a first consumer device of the plurality of consumer devices, wherein the first channel is viewed on the first consumer device; analyzing, based on content context analysis, at least one live feed of a second channel of the plurality of channels or one or more pre-encoded media assets; recommending a media item for insertion in the media feed of the first channel, wherein the media item is recommended based on: the received user-preference, and the content context analysis; detecting an upcoming inbound trigger in the received media feed after the recommendation of the media item; determining a point of insertion of the recommended media item in the received media feed of the first channel based on the upcoming inbound trigger; and dynamically scheduling the recommended media item in the media feed of the first channel based on the content context analysis and the point of insertion, wherein the recommended media item is delivered over a network.
 19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: executing the content context analysis in real time or near-real time.
 20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: parsing closed captions or subtitles for the content context analysis, wherein the closed captions or the subtitles are associated with the at least one live feed or the one or more pre-encoded media assets.
 21. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: parsing in-stream program metadata or externally referenced metadata for the content context analysis, wherein the in-stream program metadata or the externally referenced metadata is associated with the at least one live feed.
 22. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: utilizing usage history, session history, previous decision results, pre-stored metadata, and historical data for the content context analysis.
 23. The method according to claim 18, wherein the content context analysis corresponds to content recognition-based detection of the media item from the at least one live feed of the second channel or the one or more pre-encoded media assets.
 24. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: modifying the first programming schedule to generate a second programming schedule, wherein the second programming schedule is generated to deliver the recommended media item over the network.
 25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising: creating a third channel from the first channel based on the received user-preference, the content context analysis, and the generated second programming schedule.
 26. The method according to claim 24, further comprising: retaining a programming history, decision results, and metadata for use in future programming decisions, recommendations, and analysis, wherein the programming history corresponds to the generated second programming schedule.
 27. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: modifying the first programming schedule based on the upcoming inbound trigger; generating a plurality of programming schedules based on the modification of the first programming schedule; and dynamically creating a plurality of new channels from the first channel based on: the user-preference, the content context analysis, and the plurality of programming schedules.
 28. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: modifying the first programming schedule based on the upcoming inbound trigger; generating a plurality of programming schedules based on the modification of the first programming schedule; and dynamically altering programming for the first channel based on: the user-preference received from the first consumer device, the content context analysis, and the plurality of programming schedules.
 29. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: modifying the first programming schedule based on the upcoming inbound trigger; generating a plurality of programming schedules for the plurality of consumer devices based on the modification of the first programming schedule; and creating a plurality of new channels from the first channel based on: a plurality of user-preferences received from the plurality of consumer devices, content context analysis based on the received plurality of user-preferences, and the plurality of programming schedules.
 30. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: communicating a notification of the recommended media item to the first consumer device, wherein the notification seeks a confirmation from a user of the first consumer device to display the recommended media item on the first consumer device, wherein the dynamic scheduling and delivery of the recommended media item is further based on the confirmation from the first consumer device.
 31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the dynamic scheduling and the delivery of the recommended media item is further based on an aggregation of votes or user-preferences from the plurality of consumer devices.
 32. The method according to claim 30, further comprising: receiving the confirmation to display the recommended media item from the user of the first consumer device, wherein the recommended media item is scheduled in the received media feed of the first channel based on the received confirmation.
 33. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: stitching a plurality of media items in at least one spot of the received media feed, wherein the plurality of media items corresponds to the recommended media item that is scheduled; and generating a program stream based on the stitched plurality of media items, wherein the program stream is for distribution to the plurality of consumer devices.
 34. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: detecting a real-time event or a near real-time event in the at least one live feed of second channel based on the content context analysis; and recommending the media item based on the real-time event or the near real-time event, wherein the recommended media item is for insertion in a spot of the received media feed.
 35. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer implemented instructions that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute operations, the operations comprising: in a media content packaging and distribution system that is configured to handle distribution of a plurality of channels that are viewed on at least one consumer device of a plurality of consumer devices: receiving a media feed and a first programming schedule of a first channel of the plurality of channels from a source device; receiving a user-preference from a first consumer device of the plurality of consumer devices, wherein the first channel is viewed on the first consumer device; analyzing, based on content context analysis, at least one live feed of a second channel of the plurality of channels or one or more pre-encoded media assets; recommending a media item for insertion in the media feed of the first channel, wherein the media item is recommended based on: the received user-preference, and the content context analysis; detecting an upcoming inbound trigger in the received media feed after the recommendation of the media item; determining a point of insertion of the recommended media item in the received media feed of the first channel based on the upcoming inbound trigger; and dynamically scheduling the recommended media item in the media feed of the first channel based on the content context analysis and the point of insertion, wherein the recommended media item is delivered over a network. 